Employment Allowance is a National Insurance credit that is offset against Class 1 Employer’s NI. The maximum amount that can be claimed in each tax year is £3,000, although you can still claim if you pay less than £3,000. When it was first introduced in 2014 you could claim up to £2,000 but it increased to £3,000 in April 2016.

Eligibility

You can claim if:

You are a business, including sole traders and partnerships, or charity paying Employers Class 1 NI.

You can claim if you employ a care or support worker.

You can’t claim if:

You are a director and the only employee.

You employ someone for domestic work e.g. Cleaner or Gardener

You are a business that does more than half of your work in the public sector, for example the NHS.

If you have more than one employer PAYE reference, you can only claim against one of them.

How to claim Employment Allowance?

You would claim through your Payroll software and tick the box next to the “Eligible for Employment Allowance”. This will then send an EPS (Employer Payment Summary) to HMRC to let them know you’re eligible and to start claiming it.

In Sage 50 Payroll:

Go to “Company” on the left hand menu.

Then “Settings”.

Tick the box as shown.

If you use HMRC’s Basic PAYE tools:

Select the relevant Employer in the menu on the homepage.

Then select “Change employer details”.

Tick “Yes” in the “Employment Allowance indicator”.

Send an EPS as normal.

Stopping your claim:

You only need to stop your Employment Allowance claim if you stop being eligible. You do not need to stop your claim manually if you reach the £3,000 limit before the end of the tax year, this doesn’t make you ineligible. If you do stop this claim before the end of the tax year, any credit you have already been given will be removed and you will have to pay any Class 1 NI due.

When to claim?

You can claim at any time in the tax year. If you claim late and you don’t use your Employment Allowance against Class 1 National Insurance you have already paid to HMRC you can ask them to offset it against other liabilities e.g. Corporation Tax and VAT. If you have no outstanding liabilities you can also ask them to refund it directly to you.

If you were eligible, you can claim unused Employment Allowance for up to 4 previous years. Currently you can claim back the allowance from when it was first introduced in 2014.

Denise has set this year’s challenge which is to walk 46 miles in two days along the The Llyn Peninsula – Welsh Coast Path. Aberosch to Morfa Nefyn using the coast path is 45 miles.

Day 1 = Abersoch to Aberdaron (21 miles)

Day 2 = Aberdaron to Morfa Nefyn (25 miles).

The Walk will start on the 23rd September with Mike Waterfield & Stuart Caney leading the TW team & their families.

It would be incredible if you could show some support for the team and make a donation small or large, it’s all for a great cause. Please Click Here or alternatively Text TORR47 £10 to 70070 (you can alter the amount so you can make it £5, £15, £20 etc.)

In 2016 UK companies and UK limited liability partnerships (LLPs) were required to keep a register of people with significant control (PSC register) and to file relevant information at Companies House.

New rules have now been introduced as part of the UK’s programme implementing the EU Fourth Anti-Money Laundering Directive and tackling money laundering and the financing of terrorist activity. Effectively, businesses are required to help police the system – in this case by supplying information about people with significant control (PSCs).

The new rules potentially affect companies and LLPs. There are also changes for Scottish limited partnerships and certain Scottish general partnerships (collectively referred to as ‘eligible Scottish partnerships’).

Most of these changes come into force from 26 June 2017, with some coming into force from 24 July 2017.

Overview of changes

There are three main areas of change:

how companies and LLPs report PSC information to Companies House

changes to exemptions

bringing some partnerships governed by the law of Scotland into the regime.

There is information on each of these areas of change below.

Changes in reporting

There are new timescales and new forms. Previously, PSC information was updated annually on confirmation statement CS01. Change is now event-driven and must be reported to Companies House whenever it occurs. It can no longer wait until the end of the year.

From now on, companies will need to use forms PSC01 to PSC09. LLPs and eligible Scottish partnerships will use an equivalent range of forms.

When the annual confirmation statement is made, confirmation will be required that PSC information which Companies House already holds is accurate.

There are 14 days to update the PSC register, and another 14 days to send the information to Companies House. That gives 28 days to notify Companies House of changes to the PSC register.

Exemptions

Under the old rules, some companies were exempt from the PSC rules. These were DTR5 companies which are not on a regulated market.

Under the new rules, such companies may have to comply. This could affect Alternative Investment Market companies (AIM) and ISDX (ICAP Securities and Derivatives Exchange) companies.

If the company has traded on an EEA or Schedule 1 specified market, it is still exempt from providing PSC information.

Partnerships governed by Scots law

The new rules apply a modified form of the PSC regime to limited partnerships governed by the law of Scotland and also to qualifying general partnerships governed by the law of Scotland. A qualifying general partnership is a partnership in which all partners are corporate bodies.

These partnerships do not have to keep their own PSC register, but do now have to report PSC information to Companies House. They have to identify their PSCs and return this information to Companies House within 14 days of 24 July 2017.

Any further changes to PSC information must be notified to Companies House within 14 days of the change.

Confirmation that details are still current and accurate will be required annually.

Is further guidance available?

The Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has updated its guidance on the PSC register. There is draft statutory guidance on what ‘significant influence or control’ means for eligible Scottish partnerships, and guidance for people with significant control.

How can we help?

This is a complex area, especially if you are coming into the regime for the first time. It can also be a risky area, as failure to comply with the rules could lead to the business, its directors or partners, or identified PSCs committing a criminal offence.

If you would like to discuss these new requirements in more detail, or require assistance with this or other company secretarial requirement please contact us on 0116 2423400

In the current cyber-world attempted fraud is always increasing and taxpayers need to watch out not only for scam emails and texts but phone calls too.

Phishing emails are designed to steal personal or financial details and may also deliver malicious software. Some of the most common examples involve HMRC and an email advising a taxpayer about a “tax refund notification”. It asks the recipient to click on a link, which then requests personal banking details – leading individuals unwittingly to compromise their financial security. HMRC scam emails often contain the taxman’s logo and official style reference numbers and increasingly appear to be genuine communications. Scammers often sign off using the name of an actual member of HMRC staff. These criminals are getting cleverer all the time sending their emails at peak times i.e. January, when it’s the deadline for completing your self-assessment return, and July, being the deadline for your tax credits submission.

Tax payers please take note that HMRC do not make contact by email or phone to advise you of a refund and never give personal information over the phone to someone you do not know. If you are in any doubt contact your accountant/advisor immediately.

An example of a typical phishing email purporting to be from HMRC is shown below:

If you think you may have received something that isn’t legitimate or you’re unsure then please contact us on 0116 2423400